Petit Robert Bistro, 1414 Commonwealth Ave., could soon make way for a Japanese eatery serving sushi, yakitori and ramen noodles.
Kentaro Suzuki went before the Boston Licensing Board yesterday for permission to buy the French restaurant's beer and wine license so that he can open Ittoku.
Lawyer Jared Chrislip said Suzuki will pay a total of $200,000 to Petit Robert Bistro's owners for the right to move from French to Japanese. He said about $70,000 of that would go specifically for the alcohol license.
The Brighton Allston Improvement Association, the mayor's office and city councilors Mark Ciommo, Steve Murphy and Felix Arroyo all supported the proposal. The board votes this morning on the license-transfer request.
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
Wow
By Some Stupid wit...
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 8:47am
That spot's been a revolving door since Zocalo closed...
I'm pretty sure it's only
By anon
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 8:55am
I'm pretty sure it's only been owned by one person since Zocalo closed - it changed names, but not owner/menu/staff.
Actually...
By BlackKat
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 1:53pm
It was a revolving door before and during Zocalo, Zocalo being just one of many fatalities in that spot over the years.
The homogenization continues
By Lecil
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 8:55am
Don't get me wrong; I love Japanese food. But there are already a gazillion Asian restaurants in the area and it was nice having a French alternative. I thought this place might make a go of it; they seemed frequently busy, but they also seemed to rely heavily on Groupons to fill tables. Fantastic pate, but service could be incredibly slow.
Now, if they come after Tasca, they'll be into a real fight!
Cognac Bistro
By Allstonian
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 9:10am
For another "French alternative" there's always Cognac Bistro. And a decent-sized Japanese restaurant featuring ramen and yakitori, with a beer & wine license, would NOT be like anything else in the neighborhood.
Yeesh
By Kaz
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 9:31am
That place has flipped cuisines every few years ever since I moved to Boston. It always amazes me that people will move there thinking what? Their cuisine shall reign supreme? There's little parking nearby. It's between T stations and completely out of foot traffic patterns. There's zero other businesses over there to attract passerbys.
The only restaurant I could see surviving there was something so popular it becomes a destination into itself. I don't see Japanese being any better than anything else there.
Ramen
By Allstonian
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 9:41am
A good-sized sit-down restaurant, if it features quality ramen with a beer & wine license, will absolutely become a destination unto itself. There are a LOT of people in Boston yearning for good ramen options, and even a limited liquor license will be a huge advantage.
I see what you did there.
By MattyC
Thu, 11/08/2012 - 9:55am
I see what you did there.